Last Friday as we were rounding the clubhouse turn on the August digital edition of National Right to Life News, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) announced that confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh would begin with opening statements on September 4 and the start of questioning the following day.

“As I said after his nomination, Judge Kavanaugh is one of the most respected jurists in the country and one of the most qualified nominees ever to be considered by the Senate for a seat on our highest court,” Grassley said in a statement. “My team has already reviewed every page of the over 4,800 pages of judicial opinions Judge Kavanaugh wrote, over 6,400 pages of opinions he joined, more than 125,000 pages of records produced from his White House legal service, and over 17,000 pages in response to the most comprehensive questionnaire ever submitted as a nominee. He’s a mainstream judge. He has a record of judicial independence and applying the law as it is written. He’s met with dozens of senators who have nothing but positive things to say.”

Let me offer three thoughts as we anticipate what will likely be (how should I put this?) lively hearing.

First, according to reports, Sen. Grassley predicted that the hearings will span three or four days. I sure hope this proves to be prophetic. For other reasons, mentioned below, Senate Democrats are highly unlikely to make questioning concise or fail to find reasons to drag out the hearings.

The Supreme Court’s new term will begin in early October.

Second, Planned Parenthood’s political arm and other “progressive groups” are pushing senators to oppose Judge Kavanaugh “by sharing stories from their constituents,” according to Washington Examiner reporter Robert King. “The campaign, rights and Obamacare.” These organizations have bushelfuls of money and the ear of almost the entire media,

Third there are stories circulating that various news organizations are seeking e-mails that Judge Kavanaugh’s wife sent in her capacity of town manager in Chevy Chase Section 5 (under Maryland’s Public Information Act). Presumably they are trolling for exchanges between the judge and his wife (and others) they could misconstrue and inflame and distort.

Combine this with a guilt by ugly association campaign some of the usual lowlights are trying to gin up against Judge Kavanaugh (with zero evidence) and you aren’t expecting Senate Democrats and their allies to exactly be on their best behavior.

That same Friday I read about the September 4 hearings I read an op-ed that was wrong on just about every point but one:

President Trump’s election and his move to fill the federal bench with his picks should show liberals once and for all that they should emphasize rule by the people, and their elected representatives, after decades of vying to enshrine their priorities through judges.

And what could possibly be a more stellar example of “enshrin[ing] priorities through judges” than Roe v. Wade?